EVOO May Help Fight Breast Cancer

GRANADA, Spain—Researchers at the Catalonian Institute of Oncology and the University of Granada have discovered that extra virgin olive oil may help to combat breast cancer. In a study published in BMC Cancer, the research team confirmed the anti-HER2 effect of fractions of phenolic compounds in extra virgin olive oil in breast cancer cell lines.

The fractions were tested in their anti-cancer capacity both against positive HER2 and negative HER2 breast cancers, using in vitro models and evaluating the effect of polyphenolic fractions in the expression and activation of HER2 oncoprotein through ELISA specific methods for HER2. Fractions containing polyphenols such as hydroxitirosol, tirosol, elenolic acid, lignans, pinoresinol and acetopinoresinol, and secoiridoids, diacetox oleuropein aglycone, ligustrosid aglycone and oleuropein aglycone were able to induce important tumoricid effects in a range of micromolar and in a selective way against HER2 oncogene.